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Spotted Green Pufferfish

Spotted Green Puffer ~ Green Spotted Puffer ~ Spotted Puffer

Family: TetraodontidaeTetraodon nigroviridisPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   In general freshwater puffers are rarer than saltwater puffers, but the Spotted Green Puffer is one of the most commonly available... and this fish is a most popular attraction!

   The Spotted Green Puffer is a very cute adorable little fish. It is very playful, active, and curious making it a joy to watch. It has a great personality as well and will come to recognize its owner, getting excited when it sees you.

   Although this puffer will do well if kept singly as it can be an aggressive fin-nipper, it can also be kept with others of its own kind as well as other species. Be certain that for a community setting you choose large non-aggressive tank mates and a good sized aquarium.

   Provide plants and rockwork arranged in such a way that they break the line of sight and offer hiding places, but still provide open areas swimming. The natural habitat of this fish is in fresh to brackish waters. You can see on the distribution map below where it has been discovered. Like most brackish water fish, it can be acclimated to a full saltwater environment. Some hobbyists believe this is the best environment for it as it matures..

For more Information on keeping this fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

Geographic Distribution Tetraodon nigroviridis Data provided by FishBase.org Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Tetraodontiformes Family: Tetraodontidae

Distribution:    The Spotted Green Puffers are found in Asia; Sri Lanka to Indonesia and north to China.They inhabit freshwater to brackish coastal estuaries; streams, rivers, and floodplains where they are found singly or in small groups.

   NOTE: It is important that you distinguish which pufferfish you are purchasing as their water requirements vary considerably. The Spotted Green Puffer Tetraodon nigroviridis is often confused with its close relatives the Green Puffer or Ceylon Puffer Tetraodon fluviatilis, as well as the Freshwater Spotted Puffer Tetraodon schoutedeni.
   Though all three are spotted and have very similar coloration, the Spotted Green Puffer has a more rounded ball shaped body while the Green Puffer's body is more elongated. The Spotted Green Puffer and the Green Puffer are readily available in the industry, while the Freshwater Spotted Puffer reportedly hasn't been available in the industry for a number of years.

Status:    These fish are not endangered.

Description:    The Spotted Green Puffer has a stout rounded body shape with small spines. The face is very cute, having a smallish mouth topped by slightly bulging eyes and a broad forehead . Like many of the pufferfish, the coloring of the Spotted Green Puffer can vary. The adult is a beautiful rich green on top with dark spots and a whitish belly. In juveniles the green is less colorful.
   Pufferfish have the ability to 'puff' themselves up with water or air if threatened. When they inflate, their spines protrude outward and this apparently helps keep them from being eaten. Another defense of many puffer species is to produce toxic substances in their flesh that is poisonous if eaten. The Pufferfish can be quite long lived in the aquarium, many living for 10 or more years.

Size - Weight:    These fish can grow up to 6 3/4 inches (17 cm).

Care and feeding:    The Spotted Green Puffers are omnivores, though a large part of their diet is meaty foods. In their natural environment they will eat various invertebrates, crustaceans and mollusks, but they also eat some vegetation.They are not difficult to feed as they will usually eat a variety of flake, frozen, and live foods including shrimp, ghost shrimp (gut-loaded), bloodworms, freeze-dried krill, crabs, brine shrimp, and snails.
   Puffers have strong teeth that grow throughout their lives, so are prone to overgrown teeth. Offer hard shelled live food often to keep the teeth worn down. Feeding snails daily will help to wear down the teeth. If the teeth get too long, they will be unable to eat, requiring the owner to clip the teeth.
   Since puffers do not have gill covers or scales, they are thought to be more susceptible to diseases, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels. Like all puffers, this puffer is not a good fish to cycle an aquarium with. Also because they usually don't eat all of their food (messy eaters!), these fish will usually put more load on the aquarium filtration requiring more frequent water changes and better maintenance in general. A generous weekly water change of 30% to 50% is the standard recommendation for a puffer aquarium.
   A 20 gallon aquarium will work well for this puffer, however if you want to keep more than one or some other species with them, a well planted 50 - 60 gallon aquarium is better. Provide plenty of plants and rockwork for retreats as well as open areas for swimming. This puffer fish is a freshwater to brackish species and adding aquarium salt is suggested. But like many of the brackish species, the Spotted Green Puffer can be acclimated to hard, alkaline fresh water or it can be acclimated to a saltwater environment.

Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom:    The Spotted Green Puffer will swim in the bottom and middle areas of your aquarium.

Acceptable Water Conditions:    Temp: 75° - 82° F (24 - 28°C)
   pH: 7.5 to 8.5
   Hardness: 9 - 19 dH (medium to medium hard)

Social Behaviors:    Like all the pufferfish, the Green Spotted Puffer can vary greatly in temperament from one individual to another. They are generally regarded as aggressive fin-nippers and often kept singly. However they can be kept in a community setting with others of their own species as well as other large non-aggressive species. In a community setting, be sure there is plenty of room and that the aquarium is well planted. It can also have a variety of other decor such as rocks and roots. Place the decor in a manner that breaks their line of site and provides plenty of retreats for all the fish.

Sexual Differences:    Sexual differences are unknown.

Breeding/Reproduction:    Has not been bred commercially in captivity, but possibly bred successfully by hobbyists. Research indicates that the female will lay approximately 200 eggs on a smooth, protected surface. They are also known to guard the nest, notably the male.

Availability:    The Spotted Green Puffers are commonly available.

Author: Clarice Brough CFFS

• Tetraodon nigroviridis : $9.99

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Lastest Comments on Spotted Green Pufferfish View all 202 comments on Spotted Green Pufferfish Add Your Comment

Lil Bit and SE - 2010-08-09 I have been going through some stuff with these little puffers and am wondering what I am doing wrong. I feed it meal worms shrimp as well as snails. I started out with one I called Ribbi. She was a playful little thing. I got her at wal mart. I didn't know much about the fish so I kept her in a tank that was WAY too small in which the wal mart guy said was alright. I had to change her water everyday to every other day. It was crazy but she hung in there with me through it all. After doing just a little research on line I went out and bought a ten gal tank fungus clear and parasite clear. Thankfully I already had the salt. I don't know however how much salt to add to a ten gal tank. Sadly the fungus clear or something killed my little Ribbet after her and I went through hell together. She was fine until I put her in that green water, which may I say wasn't green until I added the fungus clear. I now have bought another fish and would like someone to reply or comment and let me know. I have a ten gal tank with a water filter. How much salt do I need to add and do I need to put any fungus clear in there in which I swear I believe killed Little Ms. Ribbit. Oh and what does murky water even mean. I have put in there seeds to grow my own plants I have a little bit of stuff in there for the fish to play with and do plan on buying more. Its was a long journey and huge learning experience with Ribbit, in which I loved very much but I hope to do this right this time any pointers. Please help... And to that wal mart guy I'm with you man I thought about that before I even found this page. I agree wal mart should not sell these fish. They're horrible about it. Again Please help.. Click For Replies (13) Aaron - 2010-08-29 I'm not sure about the other stuff but I heard you add a table spoon of salt for every 5 gallons. Tyler Swaggerty - 2010-09-07 Hey I'm sorry to hear about Ribbi, i have two green spotted puffers Tough and Puff. I work at walmart and agree with you 100%. I got lucky with my two but after that I went back and what I saw was bad, there were at least 10 in one 5 gallon tank they are all sick and the filtration system doesn't work in half of the tanks. hermione - 2010-09-13 You need to put two tablespoons in for a ten gallon tank, one for a five gallon tank I hope that helps you out. And I'm sorry to hear about little ms. ribbit. Experienced Fish Owner - 2011-09-04 First of all, I'm sorry to hear about your fish. The one problem is... Wal-mart (no offense wal-mart people ) But, really. All their fish are sick there. 1 time, before I had a saltwater tank, I bought an angle fish late at night, came home put it in a big enough tank, I woke up and it was dead. My Wal-mart stopped selling fish, After they realized how cruel and bad fish owners they are. (No offense wal-mart people) Anyway, you don't have to put fungus clear in there. That's my opinion anyway. Levaron - 2011-09-09 I have also started w/ walmart puffers, most of the puffers already have severe fin and tail damage when you buy them. They are not captive bred so the shock from being removed from the wild even as tiny babies and thrown into a tank and then removed and shipped off STRESSES them out. Most people notice fungus appearing very shortly after adding them to thier tank. The majority of time it is the injuries they sustained getting infected. Your best and healthiest bet is to NOT use chemical med or h2o treatment stay with the salt. The salt is also good to use in tropical tanks, stress reliever and help the healing process, they will also rapidly grow fins back. The brand of salt I use it "Jungle" for water quality Aquarium salt. Instructions say add 1 LEVEL tablespoon per 10 us gal. I also feed him flakes in the am, brine shimp in the afternoon and frozen blood worms in the evening. Do not ever put a frozen cube in your tank hungry fish can get frost bite. So I put the frozens in a small dish w/ h2o to thaw them first. I hope this helped you, don't give up a puffer is well worth the efforts. 80) Alex Mikell - 2011-09-28 I hve two gsps.(green spotted puffers) and the thing about these puffers are you can't use aqaurium salt as it doesn't have the right nutrients they need. You need instant ocean mix. It's actual sea salt you can mix with water. It helps your puffer heal and makes them more happy but you have to acclimate them slowly. They need at least 30 gallons all to themselves but you can have more than one puffer in the same tank but you must make sure that they don't pick on each other. Some cases they do but most the time they get along great and they are very sensitive to water and water changes. You have to make sure you have them in a controlled tempature or they will stress and turn all black and go into water shock. All puffers are very intelligent and have their own personality and some of them like a certain color that calms them when there scared or sick. As for the fungus clear you could use it but you can't have your puffer in the water they need clear perfect water at all times or you take a risk of your puffer dying or getting their selves sick and stressed which leads to bad things. I hope this helps you......... jordan king - 2011-10-04 Hello There, I’m sorry about your little GSP but unfortunately I don’t know much about buying form Wal-Mart, but I have heard so pretty grim stories about that place. In the UK, My pet store is pretty reliable, so buying from there wasn’t a problem. Now I have 5 GSP's and they are all really healthy and loving life. It’s better to buy them as small as you can get them so that when adapting from the stores water to your own then the puffer won’t be too stressed out. if you have done your research , you will know what I’m talking about when I say "The Grey Belly". The puffer fish is one of very few who you can tell is majorly stresses by the colour of its belly. It will start by getting lines round the edges of its spotted back that then will spread over the belly if left untreated. This is commonly causes by ammonia or nitrate/s. this could have been why yours has died... Are you positive you put the right amount of treatment in to your tank? Now, murky water/cloudy water is a commonly used phrase which is exactly what it says on the tin, (cloudy water). Depending on how much you fed your puffer could also contribute to the ammonia in the tank as puffers are very messy eaters and any leftover food will deteriorate over time. What I have done to combat this is add a few bottom feeders in to your tank. Make sure all lights are off as the puffer will at first go for the new fish thinking it is food. These fish are so fun to have because they have the mannerisms of a dog. If you puffer starts lying on the floor for large amounts of time, then you could have another problem. This could be either the water is slowly killing him (Do a 70% water change straight away) or a dietary problem. These fish are mainly carnivores but can sometimes pick at vegetation, so what you can do is make up a meal for them. A trick I uses it to break open a muscle, and remove it. Keep that on the side you will need it. Then cook some peas, move the skin and mush up. Add some cucumber and place in the muscle. Now get some frozen blood worm / Brine shrimp (or muscle) and cut the cube in half. Put one half back. Then place it inside the muscle too. (You might have to get a fairly big muscle to do this but it all depends on how many you have). Your puffer should now eat a nice healthy diet. Now salt! Biggest waste of time! I stressed for hours and hours looking for precise measurements for them. All you need to do is get some tonic salt from your local pet store and put some in every time you do a water change. Like the others have said, about 1 table spoon per 5 gallon is fine. They only will get ill after they have matured. Real plants are a really great thing to have for puffers as they do love to peck at them so expect a few holes in them, i also recommend you get fine grained gravel as when the food settles, and the puffers will search through the gravel if they get hungry. They can’t do that if it large/heavy gravel. These puffers are pack fish and not many people realise this when buying them. In the wild they work as teams in order to catch prey. So it is advised for the social reason to get 2 or more. This may require a bigger tank. I’m sorry I have waffled on but I love these fish and I found it incredibly hard to get the information i needed so I have tried to give you a basic outline of key points you need to know in the long term about these fish, by all means if you have any other questions, I would be happy to answer them. Alex Burleson - 2011-10-04 Dear 'Lil Bit and SE' I am so sorry for your loss. Walmart is not the best place to purchase fish, and other aquatic friends from. Their animals are poorly taken care of by staff not educated to properly care for those animals. While salt is minute to freshwater fish, puffers are generally regarded as brackish water fish meaning they live in water that contains an additional amount of salt that normal. If you are adding salt, be sure it is aquarium salt specified for aquarium use. Add 1 1/2 cups of salt per ten U.S gallons. Continue to do 25% water changes per week. This should improve water quality, and health of your fish. Elaina Russell - 2011-10-18 You need to buy a hydrometer. this measures the salinity in the water. Use sea salt not just aquarium salt. Most pet stores carry both. I use 'Red Sea' salt. Not using the 1st item and not knowing about the second not (the sea salt) was the reason I lost my 1st Puffer. Swim and learn! Good luck! jimmy - 2011-12-26 ok I see alot of people saying to use like a tbl spoon of salt per 5 gallons of water, I assume they are talking about aquarium salt. That won't work. What's worse is most of these people seem to know what they are talking about they don't. As for salt I use instant ocean about half a cup per gallon. Scott Emberly - 2012-02-06 Way to small for puffers do research before buy in pets your only making them suffer bearcat223 - 2012-02-08 I have only had my puffer for 2 weeks then it got ich. I tried to cure him with Ich Guard like the guy at Walmart said to do after 2 treatments my puffer died. I should have read the back. gsp fish dont have scales which means they can get chemical burns pretty easy so you want to make sure to use something safe for scaless fish like ich gaurd 2 Reply

cali - 2011-12-25 I was going to get two green spotted puffers in a 3 gallon tank and I was wonderin if I should get them or would they fight to much when they start getting bigger!!! Click For Replies (4) Charlie Roche - 2011-12-25 You would need at least a 20 gallon tank for one of these fellas. It is strongly recommended that at least a 50 gallon tank for two. In a 3 gallon stunting or possibly death can/will occur. But yes, you can keep two together. Read the full Animal World article that is at the top of this page. Jay - 2012-01-26 A 3 gallon tank is good for 1 betta, or 2 small fish like tetras (it won't be 3 gallon after you add decorations, substrate, heater, etc. Scott Emberly - 2012-02-06 They will die. They need at least 20 gallons each plus more room if there are any more fish with them Reply

Jessica - 2012-01-05 I'm worried about my 1.5 inch GSP Delilah. I have recently moved her into a 10.5 gallon tank from a 8 gallon tank. I feed her meal worms, snails and blood worms occasionally. Her personality has changed- she has lost her attack when eating and now hardly eats because she seems as though she has no energy to do so. Her teeth have grown quite a bit to not eating the snails so I had to clip them myself with cuticle clippers after I had sedated her in water with clove oil and still she is not eating any better if at all. I don't know what to do please help us! Click For Replies (1) Scott Emberly - 2012-01-31 buy live clams and you may have to trim the teeth if they are long or it will die from starvation Reply

Mary - 2012-01-20 I have a 10 gallon tank along with 5 goldfish, I've got hiding spots and decor and fake plants. I was at Walmart and saw the litter spotted green puffer. The lady in the fish department gave me very little info on him. She said he eats just flakes, and use the aquarium salt. I bought him and the Jungle aquarium salt. Thankfully I still have a can of blood worms to hold him over besides the flakes until I go buy some other foods/snails for him. Little did I know what I was getting into. What kind of snails would I buy to feed him? I'm going to go buy some real plants for him to nibble on too. Do you think my little guy will survive in my tank? Click For Replies (4) Editor's Note - 2012-01-20 Spotted Puffers (Tetraodon nigroviridis) from Walmart are typically brackish water and will not survive, sadly in your tank. Puffers are referred to as 'aqua dogs' due to their personality, and the fact that they chew on whatever they can. Keep your wires out of reach. They will grow up to 5' and they are semi-aggressive. They really need their own tank and brackish water is not too hard to keep, sort of between salt and fresh. As little juveniles, like many fish, they are found in fresh water, then migrate to estuaries, or brackish water. If it is still young enough to deal with the fresh water, it will go after your goldfish. I would suggest buying another tank for your puffer if you are in love with it, and look up a little more information and your puffer will reward you with years of companionship. They do need to be entertained too! If you don't want to do all of this, then I would say to return the puffer to the store. If you want a TRUE FRESHWATER puffer, they are out there, just do the research before buying, and even then, do not put in with goldfish. Hope that helps and have fun with your spotted aqua dog! Mary - 2012-01-20 They are not gold fish but *GLOfish* their little neon tetra sort of fish and I've been keeping a eye on them and they seem to be getting along. I do plan on getting him a 20gal tank tomorrow just for him. He is quite adorable and I do want to keep him, Hoping he lives and heals because his fins are severely chewed up. I read they are omnivorious and need alot of meat like live crustaceans and freezed bloodworms or shrimp and snails to keep there teeth in check. He's only a inch big right now, would anyone recommend what to feed him till he gets bigger? Jay - 2012-01-26 Mary, those glow fish will be a meal soon. The amazon puffer is a brackish water fish when young then requires full marine conditions when fully grown. Despite what you read online most puffers are salt water fish. In the long run your glow fish will be eaten or killed and the puffer will die from living in the wrong environment. This is what happens when you buy fish from the know nothings at walmart. Scott Emberly - 2012-01-31 Hey I just did a bit of homework after purchasing probably the same freshwater puffer. I already have salt as well as brakish water but they need snails clams and other hard shelled live food to trim there teeth or they will grow to long to eat an die or if you are brave enough you might have to trim the teeth they also like brine shrimp as a treat as well as frozen blood worms Reply

alize becerril - 2011-11-11 I have a 20 Gallon tank with two guppies and a very big apple snail. Would a GSP be good in that? Also would it eat my snail or guppies? Click For Replies (5) Alex Burleson - 2011-11-12 A Green Spotted Puffer, would most likely attack your snail. Additionally, it could attack your guppies as well. Those are not ideal tank mates for a puffer. While Puffers are exciting fish to have, they can be quite aggressive. sharon - 2011-11-15 THEY WILL LOVE THEM, MAKE A GOOD SNAcK FOR THEM. Mel - 2012-01-11 I will say this, I work at Walmart in the Pets department. We are currently selling GSP and they don't do to well with us, for one they are in a very small tank (prolly 10gal) there is like 7 of them in there, plus there is about 10 African Ciclids in there as well. I feel bad for them and I find it cruel to keep them in that sort of condition. Their fins are all bitten off and they are so stressed out that all they do is hang out at the bottom of the tank with this very sad expression on their faces. I really wish there was something I could do. If I was allowed to have fishes where I live i would buy em all out and put them all in they're own private 20gal aquarium. I don't know what to do for the poor guys. Alex Burleson - 2012-01-11 A Green Spotted Puffer would most likely severely harass, or damage your snail. Additionally, as they are calculating fish, they could potentially harm your guppies. To create a beautiful environment in your twenty gallon, consider choosing a few fish from each of the following species. Please note, that you are not limited to these species of fish: Cardinal Tetra Boseman's Rainbowfish Mollies Yo-Yo Loach Cherry Barb Jay - 2012-01-26 And the GSP will end up dying as it is a salt water fish. Reply

Melissa - 2012-01-24 This comment is for all the people that are concerned about the green spotted puffers changing color. I am not an expert, so this is me sharing my experience with them. I have 3 GSPs...Larry, Mo and Curly. I have had them for over a year and they were very little when I got them. They are now big and plump, look very healthy and have beautiful fins. I do not believe that every time they change color, that they are stressed. Every night when I shut their light off, they will calm down, go down to the bottom, and each one finds a place to 'sleep'. They get very pale, lose most of their spots and rest on the bottom of the tank in the sand. If you walk by, or turn on a light in the room, they will wake up and instantly regain their spots and color within seconds. I think they change color sometimes when they are calm. Just my opinion... Click For Replies (1) Charlie Roche - 2012-01-24 It is more than your opinion. It is your observation and a good one and i thank you for it. Reply

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